Senate committee chairman is concerned about safety

Apr. 24, 2013

One of several organized ATV rides through Jackson County last summer. (Andrea Melendez/The Register)

Written by

Legislation to allow all-terrain vehicles to operate on county roads statewide has become bottled up in a Senate committee because of safety worries and is probably dead this year, lawmakers said Wednesday.

However, the proposal will remain eligible for reconsideration in 2014 and will likely be given a second chance when the Legislature returns next January.

The ATV bill, House File 619, has overwhelmingly passed the House, and was approved last week by the Senate Transportation Committee. But Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, who chairs the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said Wednesday he is concerned the legislation would result in additional deaths and serious injuries from ATV crashes.

As a result, Bolkcom has declined to schedule the bill for a committee hearing, which means the proposal is probably dead this year as the Iowa Legislature tries to wrap up most of its work for the session.

The move will disappoint some ATV enthusiasts, who had looked forward to legally riding on county roads and attracting out-of-state visitors for ATV tourism in rural Iowa.

“We are still looking at the bill, but chances are slim that it will move forward,” Bolkcom said Wednesday. “We have heard from safety advocates and industry people about ATVs and there are substantial concerns. ATVs are not designed for use on roads and highways. So the bill needs some more work. It has some challenges.”

Although the legislation had appeared to sail through the House, safety advocates were alarmed at the potential for increased crashes if ATVs were permitted statewide on county roads and contacted lawmakers to express their worries. The bill’s opponents include the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa, the Iowa Public Health Association, and the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, a national group representing ATV manufacturers and dealers.

Iowa now averages about eight to 10 ATV fatalities annually, and an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 emergency room visits each year due to ATV injuries.

Under current law, only farmers can operate ATVs statewide on county roads. But about seven or eight counties also allow other ATV enthusiasts to ride on their road systems, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Sen. Tod Bowman, D-Maquoketa, who chairs the Transportation Committee, has promoted the ATV bill at the request of constituents who enjoy riding the machines along scenic areas of eastern Iowa along the Mississippi River. Bowman said Wednesday he has visited with Bolkcom and he understands it may be too late in this year’s session to iron out objections to the bill.

But he hopes the measure can win passage next year.

“The positive thing is that if it takes another session, and many bills do take two sessions to be approved, is that this gives us more time to really study it and look at what we are trying to do,” Bowman said.